Social Media and the Outdoors

I really struggled writing this piece because I think it’s an important topic that I’d like to address, but I wanted to make sure I did so the right the way.  I believe now is the best time to discuss this because I see this the most during deer season and ice fishing season.  I’ve hit on a wide variety of topics but I wanted to spearhead these situations directly.    

I want to start by saying I believe social media is a tremendous tool that has many benefits.  I’d be a hypocrite to say it’s not because I’m using it right now to share my thoughts with literally thousands of people.  That being said; I think many hunters and anglers are absolutely terrified to utilize this tool because of fear of backlash they may receive. 

As I said above I see this most often during deer season and ice fishing season so I feel the best way to discuss this is to look at the most common examples I see.  There are certainly a wide of variety of other situations this applies, but my hope is after analyzing these common situations you’ll be able to recognize any topic this applies to. 

1. Comparing ourselves to others.  I see this most commonly with deer, but this absolutely applies to fish as well.  I’ve discussed this before, but it’s worth repeating.  It’s not my job to decide what a trophy is for anyone except myself.  We were at the check-in station the opening Saturday of Nebraska rifle season two years ago.  There was one guy, my age maybe a little older, who was checking in a spike buck.  As we were waiting in line we got to talking and he said “I know it’s small, but it was my first one and it was so exciting”.  This was a trophy in his eyes and you could tell he was proud of it. 

I enjoy seeing people post pictures/videos/etc of an animal that they’re proud of.  However, I get extremely upset when I see negative comments of other people criticizing them for whatever reason.  Whether it’s “you shouldn’t shoot bucks that small” or “why would you keep a 25 inch walleye” every negative comment makes these individuals either 1. Not want to share their successes or worse 2. Not even want to participate in the sport at all. 

You might be searching for a 160 inch+ deer this year.  That’s what you enjoy doing and you’ll certainly be proud if you accomplish it.  It’s important to remember that there are others that will be proud to harvest an animal.  We all are on different paths.  You’ll find that you’ll have more fun enjoying the pursuit and your accomplishments as opposed to worrying about if you shot the biggest deer in your social media feed.

2. “Get out and look yourself!” We all see this quote about the time ice is forming.  Usually it is directly under “How is the ice?” I understand that many people don’t want to share where they are fishing for a variety of reasons.  I understand many people spend significant time and money driving from waterbody to waterbody looking for safe ice to fish.  I am one of them. 

What I will also tell you is I’m comfortable on thinner, more questionable ice conditions than many people.  I have a lot of experience navigating early ice and I also have safety equipment I trust.  There are many other people like me.  There are also many people that are not.    

People looking for “ice reports” are often accused of being “lazy” or “cheap”, but they might just be inexperienced.  They are possibly looking for areas that others have been on so they have the confidence to venture out earlier than they normally would feel comfortable.  I’m not saying you should give the GPS trail out to where you fished, but as opposed to criticizing a fellow angler-remember what we were all taught in elementary school.  “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” 

The best option might even be to take an inexperienced angler.  This gives you the opportunity to share your safety experience and teach this angler, but also is beneficial to you as “safety in numbers” is certainly true when navigating early ice.

I want to stress at this point that you should never put yourself or another angler in a situation you feel is unsafe.  Safety is paramount, especially early and late ice.  Every person will have their own comfort level and it is important to respect that.

3. “Social media ruined my spot!” We all hear this one a time or two each ice season.  Ice offers new opportunities to fish areas that may be inaccessible because of vegetation, lack of a boat launch or some other reason than prevents open water fishing.  The Glacial Lakes region of eastern South Dakota is famous for these “hidden gems”.  While these produce tremendous fishing, many anglers will complain that their post on social media gave away their spot because of the background.  Fellow anglers may recognize this spot and go to enjoy the fishing there themselves.

I have a few comments on this.  The first is if you are this concerned about such a situation, err on the side of caution.  There is no rule that says we need to post every limit we catch.  On that note there is nothing wrong with another angler proud of their catch and wanting to show it off.  The second is regardless what choice you make, there is absolutely no good reason to criticize another angler for making their own choices.  I have said it before: if a fellow outdoorsman or woman is acting legally and ethically I see no reason to be negative towards them. 

4. You don’t have to be a “pro” to have fun.  I hit on this earlier when I discussed comparing ourselves to others, but this deserves some special attention.  We all know them.  They have the newest, nicest gear.  They always talk about catching fish.  They’re probably “pro staff” or “field staff” for a variety of companies or groups.  They’re what we all strive to be right?  Wrong. 

Social media doesn’t tell the whole story.  Social media provides a snapshot of an individual’s time outdoors.  Many times, we don’t see the flat tire.  We don’t see the broken equipment.  We don’t see the mistakes.  Heck, some days they might not have caught any fish at all, but a couple cool pictures make it look like just a rocking day on the water. 

You don’t have to have the nicest equipment.  You don’t have to be the best angler on the water or the best hunter in the woods.  You don’t have to fill a limit.  You don’t have to do anything except enjoy your time outdoors.  The only person who can decide if you had fun is you. 

I’ve caught 70+ walleyes in a day and been disappointed.  I’ve been skunked all day without a bite, but still had a blast.  Decide you want to have a good time and whether you’re using your 24 year old unbreakable Ugly Stik or the greatest Custom Rod on the market and you’re going to have fun!  

This is a very difficult topic.  I recognize many people may not agree with me.  I respect that.  If you made it this far I sincerely thank you for reading.  You may not agree with what I had to say, but I hope it at least makes you reflect a moment on how we treat each other over social media.

I am going to leave you with this.  I hope everyone has a great season.  Whether its deer, ice, waterfowl, pheasant or all of the above I hope you find your pursuit challenging, successful and an overall great time.  I also hope you make the choice to be positive towards other sportsmen and women.  I truly believe that we will all have a more enjoyable season when we choose to quit competing with and belittling each other.  I thank you for reading and I hope you find my comments both eye opening and insightful.  

Good fishing,

Nick                   

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